Archive for November, 2008
New Bridge in Folsom CA Almost Finished
November 20th, 2008 categories: American River, Folsom Bridges, Outdoor Activities
Bridge Opening Scheduled for Spring 2009
Riding my bike along the American River in Folsom CA, just past the entrance to Dam Rd., there is a makeshift lookout to gaze upon the new bridge under construction. This amazing feat of engineering reminds me of pictures of the dam being built but a whole lot more fun. 
Speaking of pictures, the photographer who chronicled this and other building projects has a great website www.DigitalSky.us that shows a history of the bridge under construction. Todd does an awesome job and it shows in his work. He also has photos of the tower bridge, the capitol, Crocker Museum & others.
The bridge is ready to open this spring 2009 and the cost overall is estimated at $132 million with Folsom paying about $32 million. There will be four lanes & a bike trail which makes for a perfect round trip bike ride from the historic district where you can rent bikes. The bike path is paved and also great for walking or jogging.
The other event coming up in Folsom is the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. For more information you can see my blog post of Nov. 9, 2008 which has all the links to register and explains the details.
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Folsom Celebrates Veteran’s Day Parade
November 11th, 2008 categories: Folsom, Special Events
Over 1300 Participants
Folsom’s Veteran’s Day Parade was huge this year with lots of candy thrown out to the crowds and hot dogs & soda for all at the Veterans Memorial in Lions Park afterwards. There were floats representing each arm of the military, marching bands from numerous high schools, Miss Folsom, Boy Scouts and plenty of politicians shaking hands with the crowds. The best part was watching the kids wave their flags and enjoy the peace and freedom these brave soldiers provide for us and the gracious smiles of the Veterans themselves.
One military group that participated was from the High Tech Regional Training Division of the armed forces located in Sacramento. I guess it would make sense to locate that particular training center in California. These are the next generation of people to serve and they need to be cutting edge. ROTC was represented from a couple of different high schools from around the region and of course many scout groups.
Some of the local businesses had floats and I was handed a $2 Hobby Buck from Hobbytown USA. There were dancers from Hawkins School of Dance and the latest in assault vehicles from the Folsom Police Dept. who by the way did an excellent job of keeping things orderly and traffic under control. The weather held so the community could gather to commemorate those who fought and died to keep our freedoms.
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Citrus Heights CA Under Rennovation
November 10th, 2008 categories: Citrus Heights
Cityhood Updates Image
Citrus Heights celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary of cityhood in 2007 and managed to get a 89% approval rating from it’s residents on the survey it took. The city has been working feverishly to update and upgrade many of the areas that have been neglected and it appears that the residents are pleased with the improvements. Timing the tax base increase certainly helped by funding the many projects undertaken in addition to luring businesses to expand their operations in or near the Sunrise Marketplace.
Citrus Heights has a population of 87,000 residents with an average income of just under $50,000 year. When I first moved to Sacramento in 1988 I landed in the northeastern corner of Citrus Heights which borders Orangevale. We lived in a new home built when one of the farmers sold off a portion of land to a small developer getting in on the housing boom of the late 1980’s.
The mix of sleepy town with urban sprawl most clearly describes this area just south of the Placer county line. Like most of the valley towns this one started out as an agricultural community and built the first school prior to the gold rush. Most of the community is tract housing with a few acreages left for farm animals. San Juan School District had a variety of schools available and has closed a couple of the grammar schools in the past few years due to declining enrollment. There are charter schools available (which attracted my family) that you can enroll your children so long as you are willing to transport them.
Sunrise Rollerland is one of the few roller skating rinks left standing in the valley and I’ve spent many Saturday afternoons there at children’s birthday parties. Coming from the bay area we found this area to be very family friendlyand offered a more balanced environment to raise our kids. There is a real sense of community and it shines on the minor holidays when the city hosts parades or gathers to light the city Christmas tree. I think cityhood has been good for this town and am encouraged by the positive growth.
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Thanksgiving Day Race In Folsom, CA
November 9th, 2008 categories: Folsom Lake, Jogging, Outdoor Activities, Special Events
Folsom Twin Lakes Food Bank Benefits
Capitol Adventure is once again hosting its Turkey Trot Run to benefit Folsom’s food bank and the community is responding with an enthusiastic yes despite the economic news. This year’s runners will enjoy the trails throughout the Parkway and there will be “chip timing” to accurately gauge the winner and runner ups. This being the land of Intel I’m not surprised that the latest technology in race results would be readily available and I’ve read that it will produce immediate web-based race results.
Folsom is developing quite a reputation for outdoor activities due to the consistently great weather and numerous parks and trails. This past election voted in Ernie Sheldon who has been instrumental in the development of the parks and recreation dept. in Folsom and even has a park named after him! We look forward to more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors through his leadership.
Another local charity “Coats for Kids” is collecting gently used and new coats to be distributed to children and I am proud to say that my REMAX Gold office is a drop off point for the Folsom community. This is a time sensitive donation and the cut off is NOV 15th. If you have any coats you would like to donate and cannot get to the office please give me a call and I will be happy to pick up any donations you have and place them in the barrels at my office or you can drop them at 2340 E. Bidwell St.
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